Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

These homemade Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits can be served drizzled with creamy sausage gravy or turned into a breakfast sandwich topped with eggs, bacon, country ham or jam. They’re a Southern staple that you can also enjoy simply with a drizzle of honey or a dollop of homemade preserves as a side dish at any meal.

Ingredients to Make Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

The aroma of homemade Southern biscuits baking is only eclipsed by the first heavenly bite. If you gathered any number of Southern cooks together, none of them would make their biscuits exactly the same way. Southern buttermilk biscuit recipes feature their own techniques and tricks to give their biscuits the edge that sets them apart.

Admittedly, I may be a bit biased, but I believe these are the best biscuits you’ll ever make. After years of perfecting ingredient amounts and technique, these biscuits never fail. Serve these fluffy Southern biscuits at any meal and enjoy a taste of the South at your own kitchen table.

Checkout this quick list of key ingredients you’ll need to make Southern Buttermilk Biscuits: (Scroll down for the full printable recipe card.)

• All Purpose Flour – All purpose flour forms the base of the biscuit dough. Use White Lily Flour or your favorite brand of flour.
• Leavening – Baking powder, baking soda and salt give lift to the biscuit dough.
• Butter or Shortening – You’ll need 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter or vegetable shortening. You can use butter flavored shortening for a rich flavor.
• Liquid – Cold buttermilk preferably whole fat or low fat, not fat free.
• Butter – Melted butter or heavy cream to brush the tops of the biscuits to give them a golden color.

Easy Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Homemade buttermilk biscuits are a heritage bread of sorts. They’ve been served in the South for eons and are made using simple pantry ingredients. They bridge the gap between modern day cooks and those who came before us. When I bite into a biscuit, I’m instantly transported back to my Mothers and Grandmothers tables and that’s what makes southern biscuits so good! They’re considered to be the house bread of choice in the South tying only with homemade cornbread. Savory or sweet, recipes are handed down for generations by the cooks who came before us, each one claiming that they knew the closely guarded “secret” to the perfect biscuit. The truth of the matter is; that perfecting the art of biscuit making takes practice. Rest assured, you can master biscuit making with my expert tips. How to make the best Southern Biscuit Recipes: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Heat Oven and Prepare the Pan – Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Sift Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together the all purpose flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
• Butter – Cube the unsalted butter or shortening then cut it into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or pulse in a food processor. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it becomes crumbly and resembles peas.
• Add Buttermilk – Pour in 1 1/4 cup buttermilk and stir just until the crumbs are thoroughly moistened. Add up to 1/4 cup additional buttermilk, if needed. The dough shouldn’t be overly wet but, slightly sticky. 
• Roll the Biscuit Dough – Roll or pat out the dough into a circle or a rectangle on a lightly floured surface about 3/4-inch to 1-inch-thick. Cut into rounds. Do not twist the biscuit dough with the cutter. Cut the dough, then lift the cookie cutter up.  Re-roll any scraps and repeat.
• Transfer to Pan – Place biscuits 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with melted butter or heavy cream.
• Oven – Bake biscuits per the cooking time in the recipe until lightly golden and puffed. (You can broil at the end of baking to make the tops more golden brown, if desired.)
• Serve – Brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter after removing from the oven. Serve immediately. 

How to Make the BEST Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

Follow these expert helpful tips for Making the BEST homemade buttermilk biscuits. The ingredients needed to make biscuits are so basic, it’s important to use the very best for making tender fluffy biscuits.

• Kitchen Tools You’ll Need – A large bowl for mixing, measuring cups and spoons, a pastry blender, a non stick surface for rolling or a pastry mat and rolling pin. You’ll also need a food processor, a pastry blender or two forks to cut the cold butter into the flour. A biscuit cutter and a baking pan. A pastry brush for brushing the tops.
• Baking Dish – You can bake these biscuits in a cast iron skillet (preferred) or in a similar size oven safe skillet or pan.
• Use Fresh Ingredients – Start with quality ingredients. Biscuits require so few ingredients to make it’s worth making sure everything is fresh and top quality.
• Don’t Knead the Biscuit Dough – Don’t overwork the biscuit dough or the biscuits could be tough. Be gentle when mixing the dough and knead as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour.
• Check the Date on the Baking Powder – Use fresh baking powder. Please note: Should you choose to use self-rising flour it already contains leavening and salt so you should omit those ingredients.
• Never Twist the Biscuit Cutter – Use a sharp biscuit cutter. When cutting the biscuit dough into rounds, dip the cutter in flour, press down, then lift, never twist to make the cut. Twisting seals the edges and effects how high they will rise. This ensures the biscuits will have flaky layers.
• Cold Butter is Imperative – Use cold butter. The butter will melt and create steam while baking resulting in a fluffier biscuit.
• Bake the Biscuits Side by Side – I recommend baking the biscuits closer together. Doing so forces them to rise upwards while baking making them taller.
• Serving Suggestions – You can enjoy fluffy biscuits as the bread at any meal. Serve them for breakfast smothered with sausage gravy, stuffed with Christmas ham or Thanksgiving turkey, layered with eggs and sausage or crispy bacon for breakfast or with tomato slices in the summer.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Frozen Butter – Can I Use Frozen Butter to make this Southern biscuit recipe? Yes, you can freeze the butter and then grate the butter using a box grater. Toss it with the flour and proceed with the recipe.
• Flour – White Lily Flour has less gluten and results in a fluffy light biscuit. If you can’t find it, use your favorite all purpose flour.
• How Do You Make Homemade Buttermilk? To every one cup of whole milk add one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir and proceed with the recipe.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers – Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are best made and served immediately. That being said, you can keep leftover biscuits for 1-2 days in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge, then reheat in single servings in the microwave.
• Freezer Storage – You can also freeze the biscuit rounds prior to baking. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment and freeze solid. Package and store frozen then pull them out to bake when you’re short on time. Store frozen for up to 2 months.
• How to Bake Frozen Buttermilk Biscuits: – Bake frozen buttermilk biscuits per the recipe brushing the tops with cream adding 5-10 minutes to the baking time.

More Southern Biscuit Recipes to Make

Whatever your preference, a classic Southern buttermilk biscuit and a few simple technique tips will put you on the path for biscuit making success. Biscuits come in many flavors, but this basic buttermilk biscuit recipe is probably the one that people most often make and clearly one that will never go out of style.

• The most common kind of Southern biscuit served is savory with occasional add-ins such as cheese and bacon as seen in these Cheddar Bacon Buttermilk Drop Biscuits.
• They can also be served as a a sweeter version such as incorporating sweet potatoes with sugar and cinnamon in my recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits.
• Use leftover holiday ham to make these Ham and Cheddar Biscuits.
• Just like a scone, at times they feature fresh or dried fruit and they’re topped with a sweet glaze honey glaze like my Honey Butter Biscuits or Cinnamon Swirl Raisin Biscuits.
• Then, there are the beloved Angel Biscuits which are a cross between a buttermilk biscuit and a yeast roll.
• Easy 7 Up Drop Biscuits are a fan favorite!
• You may also like to try this recipe for Cinnamon Biscuits with Honey Butter from Butter with a Side of Bread.

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Aluminum Baking Sheets
• Mixing Bowl Set
• Measuring Set
• Cookie and Biscuit Cutter Set